Kicking off the New Year with a Massive Earthquake in Japan
Earthquakes are never welcome, of course, but they hit harder on New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day is traditionally the most important holiday in Japan. In 2024, Japan met the festival with a most inauspicious earthquake of magnitude 7.6 hitting the coast off the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture at 4:10 P.M. Tsunami alerts of up to 5 meters were immediately raised.
Of course, earthquakes are never welcome, but with most people celebrating the new year with their families at home, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Having to suddenly evacuate your home in a state of inebriation or risk possible death is not a pleasant situation to be in.
I was visiting my wife’s family in western Japan when I thought I felt a mild tremor. Moments later, our suspicions were confirmed when alerts appeared on the television screen.
On that day, the forces of nature battered down houses without caring about the calendar. Already, at least 82 people have perished and the window for rescue is closing. The extent of the damage and lives lost will become clearer in the days to come.
Shockingly, a Japan Coast Guard airplane that had been carrying emergency supplies to the disaster zone met with a tragedy of its…
